Victorian Council Getting Tough With Drone Pilots

Get A Permit Or Get A Fine

If you're desperately waiting to unwrap a drone Christmas Day, this story is for you.

An ambitious Victorian council has taken it upon themselves to control the sky above it's municipality, or at least try to.

Casey Council has created a new local law banning people from flying drones outside of their own property without a permit. If the council can catch them, they'll face a $300 fine.

The council has also reported already picked up two drones which crash landed, but hasn't issued fines.

The plan is aimed at protecting people from drone-related criminal activity and noise. But council has been warned this will be hard to police.

The watchdog of our skies, Civil Aviation Safety Authority, already has national rules in place for those with drones. Anyone flying a device must keep it below 120m at all times, must not fly within 30m of people or over people and drones must be visible to the naked eye at all times. They also cannot fly at night or through cloud or fog.

Another problem with catching people breaking the rules, there's no such thing as radar tracking for drones. Any drone-related crimes can only be reported from witness statements, or if someone admits they're guilty. But who's going to admit to breaking the law when it comes with a $10,000 fine from CASA?

So the message is clear - if you live in the City Of Casey, perhaps don't worry about putting a drone on your Christmas wish list. If you already fly a drone, or can't wait to buy one, make sure you're familiar with the national rules, found here.